Heel seat cushioning attachment and the method of applying the same



HEEL SEAT CUSHI ONING ATTACHMENT AND THE METHOD OF APPLYING THE SAME Filed Aug. 19/ 1933 I nf I F/P/a if\immiimmwmixw 4 Patented July 19, 1934 NETD STATES PATENT FFICE HEEL SEAT CUSHIGNING ATTACHMENT AND THE METHOD OF APPLYING THE SAME 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a detachable rubber heel and an improved method of applying the same to the heel seat of a shoe in such manner that when the heel is worn out it may be quickly 5 and conveniently removed, and another substituted for it.

The attachment includes a resilient U-shaped rubber base adapted to bear on and be permanently secured to a heel seat, and a resilient rubber l heel engageable with the base by a rearward movement of the heel relative to the base and the heel seat to which it is attached, means being provided for interengaging the heel with the base to prevent the accidental forward movement of the heel, said base and heel collectively constituting a resilient cushion which is entirely compressible between the tread face of the heel and the face of the base which bears on the heel seat.

Of the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the base.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rubber heel, a portion thereof being broken away.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the base and heel assembled.

Figure 4 is a fragmental section on line 44 of Figure 3 showing the heel seat of a shoe by dotted lines, portions of the heel and base, and one of the fasteners attaching the base to the heel seat.

Figure 5 is an end View looking toward the breast ends of the base and heel, and showing the base and heel assembled.

Figure 6 is an end view of the base looking towardthe breast end thereof.

Figure '7 is a section on line "I--? of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is an end view showing by dotted lines the heel seat of a shoe, and the breast ends of the base and rubber heel, the base being attached 40 to the heel seat and its outer margin compressed against the heel seat, the rubber heel being shown by dotted lines.

Figure 9 shows in perspective the base and a form preserving filler separably engaged there- 45 with, for a purpose hereinafter stated.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the filler, a portion thereof being broken away.

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing a modified form of the filler.

Figure 12 is a section on line 12-12 of Figure 9.

Figure 13 is a sectional view showing a portion of a heel seat and the base, and illustrating the function of the filler.

The same reference characters indicate the 55 'Isame parts in all of the figures.

In the drawing,12 designates a U-shaped base which is made of resilient rubber of the kind usually employed in making rubber heels customarily used on shoes.

The base 12 is permanently fastened to the -v usual heel seat 13 of a shoe. The fastening means may be nails 14 indicated by dotted lines in Figures 3 and 4, although any other suitable fastening means may be employed.

The U-shaped base has an inner marginal face 15 which is beveled as best shown by Figure 1 to constitute a member of a dovetail joint.

16 designates a resilient rubber heel having at one side a tread face, and at its opposite side a tenon 17 with a beveled U-shaped marginal face 18 constituting a dovetail joint face formed to engage the joint face 15 of the base, as shown by Figure 3. The tenon 17 is offset inwardly from the curved margin of the heel, so that the heel has a U-shaped top face 220, the ends of which 15' intersect the breast portion of the heel.

The heel 16 is engageable with the base by a rearward endwise movement, said movement being arrested when the tenon abuts the rear portion of the base.

The forward end portions of the base are provided with sockets 19, one of which is shown by Figures 1 and 4. The forward end portions of the heel face 220 are provided with studs 20 arranged to enter the sockets 19, and prevent forward move- 35 ment of the heel relative to the base and the heel seat 13.

The studs 20 are located outside the tenon 1'7, and on resilient corner portions of the heel face 220. These portions are adapted to be sprung outward by hand while the heel is being moved to place, to permit registration of the studs with the sockets, and permit the studs to spring into the sockets when the heel is in place. When the heel is in place the studs 20 spring into the sock-- 5 ets 19.

It is obvious that the sockets 19 may be formed in the corner portions of the heel face 220, and that the studs 20 may be formed on the end portions of the base, without departing from the spirit of the invention. The sockets and studs constitute complemental stop members which are automatically interengageable by the inward springing of said corner portions when the heel has been moved to its operative position on the base. The corner portions of the heel formed in part by the end portions of the face 220 are considerably thinner and more freely flexed than the heel portion having the tenon 1'7, hence the stop members on said corner portions may be freely 1 suitable fit of the tenon 1'7 in the base.

engaged with and separated from the stop members on the base, and when so engaged prevent liability of accidental forward movement of the heel 16 relative to the base and heel seat.

The resilient rubber base constitutes a resilient element of the cushioning attachment which therefore has a maximum compressibility and resilience.

For a reason hereinafter appearing I prefer to impart to the top face 22 of the base an approximately concave form from end to end. Said face intersects the outer margin of the base to form an acute angle 23. The inner margin of the base face 22 is flush with the top surface of the tenon 17.

When the fasteners 14 are driven, they compress the acute angled edge 23 of the base against the bottom face of the heel seat 13, so that the top face 22 is flattened as indicated by Figure 8, and forms a close water-excluding joint with the bottom face of the heel seat.

When the heel 16, shown by the dotted lines in Figure 8, is engaged with the base, the margin of the top face of the tenon 17 bears closely against the bottom face of the heel. The top face of the tenon is preferably concave so that its margin has an acute angle adapted to be flattened against the heel seat and frictionally oppose accidental forward movement of the heel.

It will now be seen that the resilient rubber base and the resilient rubber heel collectively constitute a resilient cushioning attachment whose thickness and resilience are determined by the thickness of both the base and the heel, and that said cushion is entirely compressible between the tread face of the heel and the face of the base bearing on the heel seat. The base therefore performs two functions in that it secures the heel to the heel seat and increases the resilience of the cushioning attachment.

It is desirable to stiffen the resilient base l2 during the operation of driving the fasteners 14 in order that the base may not be bent or distorted from its predetermined form required to cause a To this end I provide a form-preserving filler 25 having a beveled margin 26 complemental to the beveled margin 15 of the base 12. The bottom face of the filler shown by Figures 10, 12, and 13 is provided with ribs 27 whose ends form projecting tongues 28 arranged to bear on the under side of the base 12, as shown by Figure 9. The filler is separably engageable with the base, and is adapted to prevent any change of the form thereof during the operation of attaching it to a heel seat. The filler may be of fiber, metal, or any other suitable relatively rigid material, and is used only during the operation of attaching the base 12 to a heel seat 13.

Figure 11 shows a modification in which a continuous U-shaped flange 30 is substituted for the tongues 28.

The engagement of the filler 25 with the resilient base 12 before the latter is nailed to the shoe heel, the application of the base and the form preserving filler to the bottom face of the heel seat, the nailing of the base to the heel seat, and the subsequent removal of the filler from the base and heel seat, constitute steps of an improved method of applying the cushioning attachment to the heel seat.

I claim:

1. A heel seat cushioning attachment comprising a resilient U-shaped rubber base formedto bear on the outer face of a heel seat and having fasteners attaching it to the heel seat, and a resilient rubber heel formed to bear on the outer face of the base, said base and heel collectively constituting a resilient cushion which is entirely compressible between the tread face of the heel and the face of the base bearing on the heel seat, the inner margin of the base being beveled and formed to constitute a U-shaped dovetail joint member, the rubber heel having a heel shaped tenon on its inner side provided with a U-shaped beveled margin spaced from the side and rear marginal portions of the heel and constituting a dovetail joint member complemental to the joint member formed by the margin of the tenon, the heel tenon being engageable with the base by a rearward movement of the heel relative to the base, the base and heel having cooperating stop members engageable with each other when the heel is moved rearwardly relative to the base and adapted to prevent an accidental forward movement of the heel.

2. The described improvement in the method of applying to a heel seat a cushioning attachment comprising a U-shaped rubber base and a rubber heel, said base and heel having complemental dovetail joint faces, said improvement consisting in first engaging with the base a rela tively rigid form-preserving filler having a dovetail joint face complemental to that of the base,

then applying the base and filler to the bottom face of a heel seat, then nailing the base to the heel seat, then removing the filler from the base and heel, and finally engaging the rubber heel with the rubber base.

GEORGE H. GILLIS. 

